Head's blistering century puts Australia in control against India at The Oval

Travis Head put Australia in charge on day one of their World Test Championship final against India and laid down a marker for the forthcoming Ashes with an sizzling century at the Kia Oval.

Head was the standout performer as the Baggy Greens racked up 327 for three, reeling off 146 not out from just 156 deliveries to put his side in charge of the International Cricket Council’s long-form showpiece.

He arrived at the crease early in the afternoon session with Australia wobbling at 76 for three, India in the ascendancy after picking off David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne either side of lunch.

But he played a gem of an innings, racing out of the blocks and flipping the game on its head as he reached three figures in just 106 deliveries – an innings of daring fluency that left the rest of the top order looking pedestrian by comparison.

Steve Smith did his share of the heavy lifting, but his unbeaten 95 from 227 balls was an anchoring effort in support of Head’s agenda-setting knock.

For Australia, nudging his side one step closer to becoming global champions is a main event in itself, but for watching England fans it was a reminder of just how dangerous the 29-year-old can be.

Head was the breakout star of Australia’s 4-0 Ashes win in 2021/22, taking the Compton-Miller Medal for player of the series after scoring 357 runs at an average of nearly 60.

If there were legitimate questions over whether he could touch similar heights in English conditions, where he averaged just 27 in 2019 and endured a lean spell with Sussex two summers ago, he appeared to answer them in emphatic fashion.

The first centurion in World Test Championship Final history